Noob speed question

[eastwind]

So I'm getting a new laptop, and need to get a router too because right now my desktop is connected straight to the cable modem.

The laptop comes with a Killer N1525 AC NIC. Everything I've read about this NIC says it's overpriced, overhyped, under-supported and generally not very good, but the laptop comes with it whether I want it or not.

So my noob question is what speed does this Killer NIC claim it runs at? Is N1525 a speed or just a manufacturer model number? How does it relate to the "AC" speeds on routers - AC1750, AC1900, AC2400, AC3200 - are these numbers on the same scale as N1525 or are they apples & oranges?

I don't want to buy too much router, but I really don't want to buy too little.

 

[Dew]

Looks like the Killer is 867Mbps on 5GHz, so that is what you need to look at in a router to get the maximum performance. From what I saw, people are reporting throughput of 60MB/sec (~500Mbps), which is quite good.

For example, the TP-Link AC1750 is 1300Mbps on 5GHz, so it is already faster than the Killer.

I can't find anything on 2.4GHz performance, but it will probably be 300Mbps at a minimum.

 

[eastwind]

Thanks for your help. Based on your response I went for the Netgear nighthawk R7000 AC1900 and saved the money I might otherwise have spent for the more expensive AC2400 or AC3200 models.